Chapter 588: The Whereabouts of the Sacred Dragon King

Chapter 588: The Whereabouts of the Holy Dragon King

Li Wei arrived at Haiyuan City.

He discovered that the city had been invaded by the Naga race.

He witnessed Princess Anna of the merfolk being besieged by several legendary Naga practitioners.

Li Wei hurriedly flew over to assist.

Before he could draw near, a surging wave of sword energy swept toward him.

Li Wei quickly cast a teleportation spell to dodge.

He turned his head to look in the direction from which the sword energy came.

An eight-armed serpent demon floated in midair, each of her arms wielding a different weapon.

The longsword held in her rightmost arm was precisely what had just attacked Li Wei.

Li Wei had once seen this eight-armed serpent demon in the Undersea.

She was an eighth-rank practitioner.

There was no trace of demigod aura about her—she likely hadn’t yet kindled divine flame.

But even so, her strength as an eighth-rank being remained formidable.

Seeing Li Wei easily evade her attack, the serpent demon showed surprise.

She lashed out with the whip in her left hand toward Li Wei.

The whip rapidly extended, transforming into a sea serpent that coiled around toward Li Wei.

If she managed to entangle him and restrict his movement, the weapons held in her other seven arms would immediately strike Li Wei down, tearing him limb from limb.

Li Wei’s eyes narrowed. He raised his right index finger, aiming directly at the serpent demon.

Divine power condensed at his fingertip, forming a phoenix fire thread.

Whoosh!

The intensely compressed phoenix fire thread was as fine as silk.

In an instant, it struck the serpent demon’s chest.

Rather than piercing through her body like a needle, the thread-like phoenix fire writhed inside her like a small snake.

Everywhere it passed, flesh turned to charred cinders.

The weapons held by the serpent demon clattered into the sea.

She clutched her chest in agony, feeling an unbearable heat burning within.

The breath from her mouth and nose evaporated the surrounding seawater, forming countless bubbles.

“Aaah!”

The serpent demon threw back her head and howled in torment.

Flames erupted from her eyes, mouth, and nostrils.

Amidst the shocked gazes of all the Nagas, the eight-armed serpent demon burned in the sea, turning into a heap of blackened ash.

The Nagas who had witnessed her death all turned their heads toward her opponent.

But Li Wei had already vanished.

The situation within Haiyuan City was grim.

To save others, Li Wei unleashed his ultimate technique without hesitation.

Using divine power, he cast an ultra-tier spell inherited from Gusewei—Frozen World!

Under the influence of divine power, the might of the ultra-tier spell Frozen World increased dozens of times over.

It froze the entire Haiyuan City solid, transforming it into one massive chunk of ice.

All Naga and merfolk warriors were frozen together.

The freezing did not kill them—it merely immobilized them.

After freezing everyone, Li Wei activated his Sacred Flame Domain.

The ice on the merfolk warriors began to melt.

The frozen Naga warriors also started to thaw within their icy prisons.

Princess Anna of the merfolk, witnessing the transformation of Haiyuan City, turned her gaze toward its source at the edge—and saw Li Wei’s figure.

She was greatly surprised, delightedly exclaiming, “Master Li Wei, why are you here?

Did you do all this?”

Boom! Boom! Boom!

An eighth-rank sea beast, immune to freezing, broke free from the ice and charged toward Li Wei.

Li Wei glanced at Princess Anna and said, “Wait a moment.”

He flew toward the eighth-rank sea beast.

Focusing the power of his Sacred Flame Domain, he seared the sea beast with intense heat.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle!

Massive bubbles burst from the sea beast’s mouth as it writhed in pain through the water.

Li Wei scanned the surroundings; his Divine Vision pierced through every obstacle.

He spotted a seventh-rank Naga sea beast shaman lurking in the shadows, secretly controlling the eighth-rank sea beast.

A fireball materialized in his palm.

The fireball vanished—and became a block of ice.

A fireball appeared beside the sea beast shaman.

The shaman noticed something amiss and hastily dodged.

But the explosion radius of the fireball far exceeded her expectations.

With a deafening boom, the seawater within a thousand meters instantly evaporated.

The shaman’s figure disappeared into the blaze.

Gurgle, gurgle!

The eighth-rank sea beast, now cooked from within, flipped belly-up and slowly floated to the surface.

Boom!

Jennet, guardian of the merfolk, shattered through the ice layer and appeared before the princess.

He anxiously asked, “Your Highness, are you unharmed?”

Just moments ago, he had been tied up by a demigod-level eighth-rank Naga warrior.

Then he saw Princess Anna surrounded and attacked by multiple Naga practitioners.

Fortunately, an abrupt turn of events gave him a sliver of opportunity. He seized it, wielding the half-divine golden trident in his hand to eliminate the semi-deified powerhouse of the Naga race.

After dealing with his opponent, he immediately made his way to Anna’s side.

The mermaid princess, seeing him approach, shook her head and said, “I’m fine. It was thanks to Mage Levi that things turned out this way.”

Levi flew over as well—he had already used his Sacred Flame Domain to deal with the Nagas within Haiyuan City.

The remaining Nagas, realizing the tide had turned against them, had all fled Haiyuan City.

Levi looked toward the mermaid princess and asked, “How did the Nagas manage to breach Haiyuan City?”

Princess Anna replied, “Something happened that caused the crystal barrier protecting Haiyuan City for ten thousand years to fail. That gave the Nagas their chance to invade.”

“And it was only because Mage Levi arrived in time that we were able to stop their invasion.”

Levi wore an expression of surprise.

He still remembered vividly the crystal barrier that enveloped the entire Haiyuan City—it was something even a semi-deified being could not shatter.

It was, without doubt, the most precious relic left behind by the merfolk from ancient times.

How could it have suddenly failed?

But more than the failure of the crystal barrier, what concerned Levi most was the whereabouts of the Holy Dragon King and Saint Xi.

He quickly asked, “Your Highness, do you know where the Holy Dragon King and Saint Xi went?”

The mermaid princess said, “I don’t know the full details, but before he left, the Holy Dragon King sensed strange fluctuations emanating from the Abyss beneath the city.”

“He told me about it shortly before the disturbance occurred. Soon after, the spatial rift leading to the Abyss vanished, and then the crystal barrier protecting Haiyuan City lost its power.”

“It’s possible the Holy Dragon King went to investigate those strange fluctuations himself.”

“Strange fluctuations?” Levi frowned with confusion.

If the mermaid princess believed the Holy Dragon King had gone to the Abyss, then Levi would have to go there himself to find him and Saint Xi.

When Anna learned that Levi intended to go to the Abyss, she quickly said, “If you wish to go to the Abyss, there is a secret passage within Haiyuan City.”

“Jennet, you handle matters here in the city. I’ll take Mage Levi to the entrance of the Abyss.”

Princess Anna spoke to Jennet.

Jennet nodded and replied, “Understood, Your Highness.”

Anna led Levi through the waters toward the Sea God Temple within Haiyuan City.

“This is the place,” she said. “Back when the Ocean God still existed, the Abyss was the richest and most mysterious place in all the seas. Every Sea God Temple throughout the ocean connected to the Abyss.”

“There were even rumors that the Ocean God wished to transform the Abyss into a divine realm.”

“But later, the Ocean God disappeared. No one knows when the once-fertile Abyss became a wasteland—a forbidden land of death. All life within the Abyss fell under some unknown curse—some died, others mutated. The Naga race emerged at that time.”

“A long time ago, the Nagas were also merfolk. They only became so hideous after being cursed.”

As she spoke, they swam onward.

Princess Anna led Levi into the Sea God Temple.

Inside, he saw stone pillars carved with countless marine creatures.

This had once been a sacred place for all sea life.

But now, many years after the Ocean God’s disappearance, the temple had lost its former majesty and become nothing more than an ordinary structure.

Only during rare festivals did people remember the god who once sat high upon its throne.

As Levi entered the temple, several female mermaids dressed in jellyfish-like robes swam toward him—they were attendants of the temple.

“We greet Your Highness,” they chorused in unison, bowing respectfully.

Princess Anna asked, “Has the Sea God Temple been attacked by the Nagas?”

One attendant quickly replied, “Your Highness, the temple has not been attacked. Even though the Nagas have forsaken the Sea God, they still dare not defy the dignity of divinity. Not one of them dared come near.”

Princess Anna paid little attention to the attendant’s words.

She knew better.

The truth was simply that the Nagas saw the temple as abandoned and useless—of no value worth conquering.

That was why they hadn’t bothered to occupy it.

It had nothing to do with reverence for the gods.

She dismissed the attendants and led Levi deeper into the temple.

“This is the place. From here, we can open a path to the Abyss.”

“The teleportation array inside the Sea God Temple hasn’t been used in ages. I cannot be certain whether it still functions.”

She told Levi.

Levi replied, “That’s alright. We’ll try our best.”

“If the teleporter doesn’t work, I can fly directly to the Abyss.”

He knew the location of the Abyss. Flying there would take time, but it wasn’t impossible.

The Spatial Tower suppressed the Nagas within the Abyss.

Above the Abyss stood the tower itself.

Once he reached the tower, he need only dive down into the deep sea to reach the Abyss below.

Princess Anna nodded and warned, “Besides the Nagas, the Abyss is filled with many powerful, mutated sea creatures. Be careful.”

Levi nodded and replied, “Thank you for the warning.”

Anna activated the teleportation formation within the Sea God Temple.

Fortunately, the materials used in constructing the temple back then had been of the highest quality.

Even after so much time had passed, the formation still worked.

Equally fortunate was that the merfolk of Haiyuan City had maintained the temple all these years.

Though they no longer used its facilities, regular upkeep had never ceased.

Levi stepped onto the teleportation circle.

A flash of blue light filled the temple—and his figure vanished.

Princess Anna gazed at the spot where he had disappeared, murmuring softly, “I hope you return safely.”

“May the Sea God protect you, Levi.”

The mermaid princess blessed Li Wei.

Though the Sea God had vanished long ago, he remained the faith revered in the hearts of the merfolk.

A flash of blue light streaked before Li Wei’s eyes, followed immediately by an intense spatial fluctuation that enveloped him.

When he came to his senses, the blue glow was gone, and all around him lay pitch darkness.

Li Wei's eyes flickered slightly as he adjusted to the environment, gradually making out the scene before him.

He stood within another temple dedicated to the Sea God.

Yet this one had long been abandoned.

Even its roof had been torn away; the surrounding structures were naught but ruins buried beneath layers of dust and debris.

Had the teleportation array not suddenly activated—shaking off much of the sediment covering the ruins—he would never have guessed this place once housed a grand sanctuary.

Peering through the sand and ash, Li Wei beheld the collapsed remains of the temple.

His gaze swept into the distance, piercing the gloom to peer far ahead.

In the black waters, several shadowy figures glided past.

The oceanic abyss stretched vast and boundless, yet bore few signs of life.

Li Wei sensed a heavy aura of death permeating the area.

He flew toward where he perceived faint traces of vitality.

At the bottom of the deep sea, there was almost no sign of living beings at all.

Not even marine flora or microscopic organisms could be found.

This was truly a land of complete desolation.

Only distant silhouettes drifted aimlessly through the water.

Remaining here caused even Li Wei’s divine body to weaken.

Some peculiar force influenced this realm,

causing the life force of any creature present to drain rapidly.

For Li Wei, it meant the depletion of his divine power.

Quickly, he withdrew from this perilous zone.

Approaching one of the drifting creatures, Li Wei discovered it to be a colossal octopus bristling with countless tentacles.

Its aura was formidable—

comparable to a demigod-level warrior.

It was a mutated demigod-class giant octopus.

Sensing Li Wei’s approach, the massive cephalopod lashed out with hundreds of varying-length tentacles in relentless assault.

They surged forward like a tidal wave, seeking to devour everything in their path.

Before Li Wei materialized a fireball forged from divine energy.

The enormous orb of flame surged forth against the torrent of limbs, burning everything it touched.

Before the might of Li Wei’s divine fireball, the demigod-level octopus stood powerless—most of its tentacles already reduced to ash.

Suddenly, Li Wei felt a strange force envelop the surrounding space.

The divine fireball before him instantly extinguished.

As if something had abruptly drained his divine essence.

Strangely unaffected, the wounded demigod-level octopus launched its remaining tentacles at Li Wei with renewed vigor.

Li Wei summoned his divine energy for another strike.

But the moment it left his body, it simply vanished.

His expression sharpened.

He felt his very being consumed by some unknown force.

His form itself was composed entirely of condensed divine energy.

And this mysterious force showed no mercy toward such a construct—it devoured it greedily.

The entire domain was consuming Li Wei.

Realizing the danger, Li Wei attempted to activate a teleportation technique to escape.

Then, a dazzling golden radiance blazed before his eyes, blinding him momentarily.

Boom!

A thunderous sound echoed.

He sensed the demigod-level octopus fleeing swiftly from the vicinity.

"Li Wei, hurry and leave!"

The voice belonged to the Sacred Dragon King.

Without resistance, Li Wei allowed himself to be seized.

Whoosh! Gurgling sounds filled the water!

The Sacred Dragon King grasped Li Wei tightly and shot through the sea like a golden bolt of lightning, racing into the distance.

Only after escaping that treacherous domain did the dragon finally halt.

Releasing Li Wei, the great dragon fixed him with a surprised look from his immense eyes.

“How did you become a demigod?”

asked the Sacred Dragon King, clearly stunned.

Li Wei replied, “I ventured into the Astral Realm and encountered some fortunate circumstances—I narrowly broke through to the demigod stage.”

Staring intently at him, the Sacred Dragon King said, “That can hardly be called mere luck. You’ve already mastered forming a divine body—you must be standing at the pinnacle of the demigod realm. Becoming a full god is now only a step away.”

More concerned about what had just occurred, Li Wei asked, “What happened back there? Why did I feel my divine power being devoured by something?”

A grave expression crossed the Sacred Dragon King’s face.

“That was...”

(End of Chapter)